


Growing up

by C_Chepi



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe, Best Friends, Childhood Friends, Fluff fluffity Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, One-Sided Stingtsu, Rogue Cheney Pining, SO MUCH FLUFF, eventual love, so much pining, stingue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 06:46:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11156475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C_Chepi/pseuds/C_Chepi
Summary: Sting and Rogue had always in inseparable, the dynamic duo, two peas in a pod etcetera, etcetera. As they grow up, they learn that things often change, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Emotions are complicated things after all.Or the one where Rogue Cheney feels more than friendship for his best friend.





	Growing up

From the moment they’d met, Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney were inseparable. Ever since Sting’s smooth voice had cut across the cackling of Rogue’s tormentors and his fist had silenced their mocking, the younger boy had followed him around like a little shadow.

Sting always knew, even after they’d just met, that Rogue wasn’t even half as comfortable with others as he was. He was always considerate of his best friend’s feelings when he surrounded himself with the many friends that he had and was incredibly protective when it came to the raven-haired boy.

As they grew, it became evident to their peers that they couldn’t be with one without having to be with the other as well, and most didn’t have any issues with this. Those that had a problem with Rogue, however, were quick to be silenced by a sharp glare and a subtle threat from the blonde-haired boy.

“We’ll always be friends, right?” Rogue would say to Sting on the days he was feeling most anxious, unable to look into the blonde’s bright blue eyes as if he would break in two if Sting were to reject him.

“Of course, Silly!” Sting would instantly reply, his typical sparkling grin spreading across his lips as he tugged his friend close to give him a reassuring squeeze.

Their relationship continued like this for many years, but Rogue soon realised that his feelings for Sting had begun to run a little deeper than just platonic friendship. It was possibly at the time of his sixteenth birthday that Sting began to shine just a little brighter, and his smile began to seem just a little sweeter.

It wasn’t a special night, Rogue was lounging on his couch while Sting was sitting down on the floor, both their eyes were glued to the movie that was playing as they were stuffing their faces with snacks of all sorts. Rogue’s parents had long since gone to bed and the small party among the four of them had ended, leaving Sting and Rogue alone to do what they pleased. Sting had said something that Rogue couldn’t quite catch and had proceeded to look up at the ruby-eyed boy quizzically. Rogue’s heart shuddered, and the emotions that followed crashed over him like a tidal wave, it was all so sudden he had no idea what to do. The boy had just awkwardly stared at Sting, the heat steadily rising to his cheeks as his heart continued to hammer in his chest.

Rogue had begun to repress all the feelings he held for Sting, and due to that reason, Sting had noticed that he’d begun to seem more and more distant. The blue-eyed teen merely shook it off and told himself that it was probably a good thing that Rogue was becoming more independent.

Sting had at that point begun to get girlfriends, and each time, Rogue merely gave them his congratulations with a tight smile and stifled the hurt and anger that seemed to surge every time he saw Sting with someone else.

When Sting became enamoured with their upperclassman, Natsu Dragneel, Rogue grew highly irritable. It always seemed to be ‘Natsu this, Natsu that’, and Rogue’s envy and anxiety became worse as the months passed.

“Sorry, Rogue. I can’t go out today, Natsu and I were going to go somewhere,”

This was the sentence that truly broke the boy with the raven hair. It was the first time Sting had ever put anyone before him, and that fact alone made him feel as if he’d begun to drown.

“I see,” was the only thing he’d managed to choke out as he friend gave him a last smile and turned away. This went on for a few months before Sting announced that he wanted Rogue to formally meet Natsu. Rogue unwillingly agreed and was honestly wishing he hadn’t.

The way Sting looked at the older boy was something Rogue had never seen, even though he’d truly believed he’d seen every single side of his best friend. The way his eyes sparkled was no match for any of the ways he’d ever looked at Rogue, and the boy could feel as his heart began to tear.

It wasn’t long after that that Rogue was assaulted with complaints about Lucy Heartfilia.

“We were meant to be going down to the arcade but he says he’s going out with that chick again,” Sting grumbled with his head on his arms as Rogue watched on from his desk beside his friend’s with a mix of amusement and hurt.

It was months later, a week before the senior’s formal, that Rogue’s parents were away for the week and he had to open the door late at night due to a continuation of loud, desperate thumps upon its wooden surface. The rain was pouring from the heavens as Rogue’s gaze swept across a soaked, red-eyed Sting Eucliffe. No words were needed to be spoken between the two, as the expression on the once chipper blonde’s face was one Rogue knew all too well.

He opened his arms out and the blue-eyed boy rushed into the familiarity and safety, his body wracked with sobs as he buried his soaking form into Rogue’s shoulder.

“He’s going with Lucy, isn’t he?” Rogue muttered softly into the matted blonde locks. A small nod was the only reply he received, and he squeezed Sting reassuringly as he nuzzled into the side of his head.

Once he’d dried and changed, they snuggled up on the couch, Sting clinging to Rogue as if he was his lifeline.

“It hurts,” he whispered into the silence.

“I know,” Rogue sighed, “believe me I know.”

A year passed and Natsu was all but a faded memory full of precious emotion in Sting’s life. He hadn’t dated since, and once again he and Rogue had become the inseparable pair they were as younger children.

Their own graduation was coming up, and their formal was in a mere week. The boys were sat in Sting’s bedroom, figuring out who they were going to take with them.

“You’ve dated most of the girls in our year already, so you haven’t got much of a choice,” Rogue had joked, the statement causing his heart to twinge despite himself. Sting laughed along in agreement, but the silence soon enveloped them as they both began to stew in their own thoughts. Sting’s eyes seemed to sparkle with something Rogue couldn’t quite put his finger on, and he tilted his head in confusion.

“You know,” Sting began slowly as if he was taking care to think about each word that left his mouth. “We could always go together if you wanted to.” Rogue blinked, and gave Sting a quizzical look, trying to suppress the hope which had begun to bubble at the depths of his heart.

“As friends?” he questioned, cringing at the squeakiness of his voice.

“Or more,” Sting muttered, almost inaudibly as he refused to make direct eye contact with the dark-haired boy sitting opposite him. Rogue’s ruby-red eyes widened, and he could feel his heart thrashing around in his chest as if it would burst at any moment. The tears began to roll down his cheeks before he could do anything to stop them, and his hands clenched into fists gripping the duvet they were both sitting upon.

“You don’t have to, I don’t want this to ruin anything,” Sting began to ramble in a panic. Rogue violently shook his head and allowed himself to collapse into the chest of the other boy, his shoulders shuddering with every hic.

Sting’s face began to vary in emotion but soon settled into a gentle smile as he wrapped his arms protectively around Rogue’s frame, planting a small kiss on the top of his head.

“I think, I may be in love with you,” the blonde murmured into Rogue’s ebony locks, his fingers absently playing with the waves.

“I have been for such a long time,” Rogue replied, his voice muffled by Sting’s broad chest.

“I know,” Sting replied with another affectionate kiss to the top of Rogue’s head. “And I’m so sorry for disregarding that, I was an idiot.” Rogue just gripped Sting’s tee all the harder, clutching onto him as if he was his lifeline. Sting did the exact same thing to his little shadow

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed, sorry for not posting in a while!


End file.
